Damone Clark: A Star in the Making

Leading up to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, rumors were already swirling that the Cowboys were interested in drafting the LSU linebacker. Clark was a two-year starter for the Tigers and an anchor of their defensive front, helping them capture the 2019 national championship. A second team All-American in 2021 and Dick Butkus Award finalist, many expected him to be drafted in the second round at the latest.

Before his impressive showing at the Combine, though, the Dallas medical staff delivered the news that the young prospect had a herniated spinal disc. At the time, the issue wasn’t causing any pain or negative effects for Clark, but for competitive athletes, herniated discs have been associated with back pain, muscle weakness, nerve damage, and career ending complications. After getting a second opinion on the matter, Clark opted to undergo reparative surgery, and his draft stock plummeted as a result.

The Cowboys elicited a lot of criticism when they moved ahead with drafting Clark in the fifth round. It was considered a surprising decision despite the Cowboys’ history of taking calculated risks on players in similar situations in the past.

How Stars are Made

Clark underwent spinal fusion surgery to repair the disc. Medical professionals said that the procedure would keep him off of the field for the entire 2022 season and could possibly hamper his ability to be the same game-changing defender fans saw when he was at LSU.

Tangentially related, it is a bit ironic that a different type of fusion, nuclear, is the catalyst for the creation of the stars that shine in the night’s sky. Another component necessary for the creation of stars – pressure. But while gaseous stars are formed under gravitational pressure, it was situational pressure that put Damone Clark in the spotlight when he made his defensive debut against the Chicago Bears.

When the Cowboys activated Clark, he was expected to be relegated to special teams as part of the process of acclimating him to the speed and ferocity of NFL football. That plan changed suddenly with two minutes and twenty seconds left in the first half of the Weekm8 matchup against Chicago. Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr was sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Clark went on to participate in 40 defensive snaps. He recorded five tackles as the Cowboys played to a 49-29 victory over the Bears.

Since then, the rookie linebacker has recorded five more tackles on the season: two against Green Bay and three more during the Cowboys’ stomping of the Minnesota Vikings. Against the Packers, Clark logged only 7 snaps, but that number jumped to 43 against the Vikings.